Have you noticed that every cool woman from around the world has landed in Mexico this summer, peppering your Instagram feed with shots from Casa Luis Barragán and Holbox? The latest person to set sights on the D.F. is actually a man, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli. Inspired by the spirit of Mexico’s Adelitas—female revolutionaries who wore ruffled dresses and bandoliers—Piccioli and his Red Valentino team set out to create a collection of contrasts: the softness of plissé against rigid sporty shapes, the delicacy of florals against the roughness of tattoo-inspired prints, point d’esprit prettiness with a hoodie. As Piccioli sees it, “The Red Valentino Spring 2019 Collection celebrates strength and creativity—an aesthetic that is more than a fashion statement, it’s the signifier of personal identity and affirmation of the self.”

Take it from the designer himself, then: These are pieces meant to be styled how you wish. In the lookbook they are mixed and matched with everything from ballet-inspired sneakers to delicate kitten heels. If it feels a little bit like a grab bag—what does this wispy black tulle dress with silk flower embellishments have to do with a boxer’s-robe-meets-kimono combination?—that’s intentional. It’s up to the wearer to imbue these pieces with her own revolutionary spirit. In ceding designer dictatorial power, Piccioli has come out more powerful: Let the woman be herself. Let her choose!